Photo: AutoGuide.com via Lightning Owners forum (fair use)
Ford has started production of the electric F-150 Lightning truck at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and has already built around 2,800 of them. It appears now that The Lightning faces the same problems with chip shortages as the Bronco and its ICE sibling. Dozens of Lightnings are piling up at the company’s test track in Dearborn, Michigan.
Chip shortages have plagued the auto industry for more than a year now, and we know that Ford was among the carmakers that were the most affected. Ford has always tried to prioritize its most profitable models and trims, but eventually, it had to stop production and wait for the pesky electronic components. This has happened more often and for longer periods than in the case of other carmakers.
During the past year, Ford adapted and started building vehicles without the missing components. They were either stored while awaiting completion or delivered to customers without some features that would have to be installed at a later time. We covered both situations in the past, and we were most impressed with the Broncos piling up at the Dirt Mountain and other overflow parking lots around Ford’s plants. It seems that the F-150 Lightning shares the same fate now.
The forums are flooded with pictures of dozens of Ford F-150 Lightning trucks being stored around the Dearborn test track, with more coming every day. According to the Lightning Owners forum, the number of trucks stored at the track has been growing steadily during the first week of May. Most probably, this is caused by a supply chain problem, with the chip shortages as the most likely issue.
This somehow contradicts Ford’s claims that the F-150 Lightning is its top priority at the moment. Talking to Automotive News just a day ago, Darren Palmer, Ford’s vice president of electric vehicle programs, said that the Lightning would get preferential treatment to avoid the chip problems. “The truck’s the highest priority, but the electric truck will be higher,” said Palmer. This doesn't seem the case though, or Ford's problems are way bigger than admitted.
During the past year, Ford adapted and started building vehicles without the missing components. They were either stored while awaiting completion or delivered to customers without some features that would have to be installed at a later time. We covered both situations in the past, and we were most impressed with the Broncos piling up at the Dirt Mountain and other overflow parking lots around Ford’s plants. It seems that the F-150 Lightning shares the same fate now.
The forums are flooded with pictures of dozens of Ford F-150 Lightning trucks being stored around the Dearborn test track, with more coming every day. According to the Lightning Owners forum, the number of trucks stored at the track has been growing steadily during the first week of May. Most probably, this is caused by a supply chain problem, with the chip shortages as the most likely issue.
This somehow contradicts Ford’s claims that the F-150 Lightning is its top priority at the moment. Talking to Automotive News just a day ago, Darren Palmer, Ford’s vice president of electric vehicle programs, said that the Lightning would get preferential treatment to avoid the chip problems. “The truck’s the highest priority, but the electric truck will be higher,” said Palmer. This doesn't seem the case though, or Ford's problems are way bigger than admitted.
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